Found Not Captured
by starwars27
Summary: There have been a series of attacks in the wizarding world and people think it's You-Know-Who. Harry and his friends know that's not who it is because of the way people are being killed. Who's killing people and leaving these claw marks? Are they a friend or a foe?


It was summertime in Godric's Hollow. A dull old summer day, when the owls flew in and caused the day to become a lot more interesting. There have been assaults on random witches and wizards. No one knew why, but when random witches and wizards started to turn up dead, people assumed it was You-Know-Who again. Harry, his family, and his friends knew it wasn't Voldemort because of the manner the person was killing. They always left 2 holes like stab wounds and the victim always had claw marks.

Harry was relaxing at the kitchen table having brunch with his mom (Lily Evans), his dad (James Potter), his godfather (Sirius Black), and his uncle (Remus Lupin) when the paper came in. The first thing everyone noticed was a blurred picture of a girl no older than 12 with rapid hazel eyes, olive-toned skin, and a great flaming red mane of hair. She had a mask covering her mouth, nose, and cheekbones. Wearing a leather black combat suit, black combat boots, black leather gloves, and 2 metal looking claws that came out of her hand. The headline announced: Mass Murderer Found Not Captured. James picked up the paper and read it aloud. The news informed them that this freak was behind the attacks. If anyone were to see her, they were to report her, but to not engage.

As the summer went on, the hits kept happening. The attacks were on, but no one could catch her.

The first semester of the third year had come and gone. It was now winter break, Harry and his friends were about to go home.

"Write to me over winter break, mate." Ron was staying at Hogwarts this year because his parents were joining Charlie again.

"Me too." Hermione pipes up, "Neither of us are going back to the wizarding world, so I don't want to see you on the front of the Daily Prophet. Knowing you, you will get into some trouble."

Winter break went great, on Christmas his father had given him the Marauders map from when they went to school, a firebolt broom, a book about animagus, and some pranks that Fred and George had invented.

It was the day after Christmas and Harry was taking his firebolt out for a swing around the block. Going around a few blocks he then hears a malicious low growl and a few screams. Turning around to go toward the sound (because he's Harry Potter and he's stupid as fuck), he meanders as if in a horror movie and that's when he sees her, the girl from the papers, she looks the same except this time she has blond hair, with a lifeless body right in front of her.

She swings around at the sound of him, sensing him. He watches fixed as the steel? claws come out. When they stopped, she inhales the air near him and then circles him. Her claws slowly retract back into her body and he watches her eyes flicker between emotions, a cold stoic look into her eyes quickly changing to warmth and then flickering to panic.

"Kill the witness and return to base." She clutches her head, and she repeats "Kill the witness and return to base." She shakes and slowly goes to the ground, curls into a ball rocking back and forth starting a different mantra of "no, no, no", Harry takes a step toward the girl "no, no, no" another step "no, no, no" now he's at the girl "no, no, no" he has no clue why, but he crouches down and gives her a hug, "NO!" She breaks out of her trance and looks at Harry confused. "Where am I? Who are you? What's…" Her eyes land on the body "Oh, no. What did I do?" She gets up and slowly backs away from Harry, "I..I... I didn't"

Harry assessed the situation and went the calming route. "Hey, calm down. You didn't mean to do this. Whoever did this to you will be to blame." Harry takes one step forward, she flinches, and he takes a step back. "Let's start with something easy. What's your name?"

"X-23"

"Okay, X-23. Is there something else you go by?"

"Agent Kinney named me, Laura."

"Okay, who's that, Agent Kinney."

"It doesn't matter, she's dead."

"Okay, why don't you come with me."

"They'll come for me." With that she seems to remember something, she breaks open her skin with her claws, takes out a red disk, and stomps on it till it's into bits and pieces.

Watching her skin grow back unscathed within a few seconds, he distractedly points out, "I'll protect you."

"Why? You don't know me and you've seen that I've done bad things."

"From the little panic attack you had, I can see that you probably didn't do this willingly and if people are after you, you probably have nowhere to go."

She stares at him for a few moments and then gives a little nod. They start walking and Harry picks up his firebolt. He looks back at Laura. "Um, we should probably use this so we aren't here when the authorities show." She nods again, not giving a verbal response.

When they arrived back at Godric Hollows, no one was home. "Apparently there was a big sale, but my family should be back soon. So, um, is that your natural hair color?" He tries to make conversation to cover up the awkward silence.

"No, it's not my natural eye color either. The color will wash out."

Harry looks at her and sees the blood on her outfit to the dirt and grime that caked her face and stained her nails.

"Did you want a shower or a bath?"

"What's a bath?"

Harry sighs and gets out some of his clothes and puts her undergarments in the wash, as they had nothing in her size.

"Why is it always me?" Harry mutters.

Showing Laura what a bath was fun. She had such a surprised face when the bubbles appeared after I turned the water on. He had given her his mother's shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion. He gave her a pair of nail clippers; he didn't notice her steal a pair of scissors before she went in. He hopes that she will take a while so he can explain everything to his family. He hears the jingle of keys and the door click open. "Harry, we're home!" His mother yells out.

Harry sighs and makes his way downstairs. 'Here we go.' He flashes a smile at them and they immediately know something's up.

Sirius smirks. "What's going on Harry? You hiding a girl up there or something?" Harry shifts at his words and Sirius's smirk gets wider. "Look, it's not what you think."

Harry explains what happened, hearing the growl, seeing the girl, Laura rocking back and forth, and her breaking her brainwashing. It stuns his family to silence, his father is the first one to recover, "We really need to talk about your self-preservation skills because when you're a kid and you hear screams you're supposed to run in the other direction."

"Look I know you guys are Aurors but we don't have to turn her in right?" Harry looks at them hopefully. "She could have been under the imperius curse."

"We know Harry, but if someone was under the imperius curse, we usually put them in a trial and notify the ministry." Remus points out.

"No, I promised I would protect her and if I have to hide her from you, I will." Harry's voice raises.

"Because I feel like the trial won't work, and she'll get convicted like Sirius." The whole room shifts at those words, "Besides you didn't see the look in her eyes."

"Let's hear her story first, then we'll decide." James sighs.

"All right let me go check on her." Harry jogs up the stairs he faintly heads his mom say, "Self-preservation skills, what self-preservation skills?"

Harry goes into his room and notices that the clothes and her recently washed garments that he put out weren't there. He knocks on the bathroom door. "You okay in there?" In response to his question, the door opened. He was shocked; her hair was cut short, very short. The sides were about 2 inches long, just enough to cover her scalp, the top middle portion of her hair is longer, textured, and curly. Her hair is now jet black with sticking chartreuse eyes. Without a mask, he now sees light freckles litter her cheeks and button nose, short chin, and full plump lips. She was wearing an old pair of Harry's jeans and an old white t-shirt of his.

"Looks like everything fits." Harry shakes his head slightly to stop himself from staring.

"Yeah, I heard the argument downstairs. If they don't want me here, I can go."

"No, you need not leave. I plan to keep my promise, but you have to understand, with all the articles about you killing people, your record isn't exactly helping you. Come on, they wait downstairs for us."

Laura follows him downstairs and scans over the room with a sense of unease and distrust.


End file.
